Mary Teresa Barnett was hired as the Assistant Athletic Director for Academics in August 2022 after previously spending six years at Eastern Oregon University. She has served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services as of September 2025.
 
Originally hired at Eastern Oregon as the Eligibility Coordinator, Barnett was elevated to Assistant Athletic Director for Eligibility & Student Success in 2019. While at Eastern Oregon, Barnett’s main duties included assisting student-athletes and coaches in remaining eligible through university, conference and NAIA policies and regulations. She oversaw NAIA compliance, eligibility, and overall academics for all 15 teams (approx. 450 student-athletes) and ensured that the athletic department remained in full compliance with Title IX, especially in regards to participation, scholarships and other benefits.
 
Barnett, a native of Hermiston, Ore., was a standout track & field athlete at Washington State University, where she received both her bachelor’s degree in human development with a minor in sociology and her master’s degree in education with a focus on sport management. As a student-athlete, Barnett competed in the shot put, discus, hammer and weight throw and was a four-year Pac-12 Conference Championship participant in addition to earning All-Academic honors from both the Pac-12 and MPSF conferences.
 
While completing her master’s degree, Barnett was a graduate assistant at Washington State’s Center for Civic Engagement from 2015-16. In that role, Barnett was a nominee for WSU’s Employee of the Year.